The Connection between Gravitation and the Velocity of Light

D.T. Froedge

Formerly Auburn University

Phys-dtfroedge@glasgow-ky.com
V101914
@ http://www.arxdtf.org

ABSTRACT

It has long been known that a photon entering a gravitational potential follows a
path identically to that of a photon in a variable speed of light defined by the
Shapiro velocity for Minkowski flat space [1]. It is shown here that a particle
having constant energy infalling a gravitational potential, and defined as a pair of
trapped photons in a massless box, is accelerated by a gradient in the velocity of
light exactly as a particle in a gravitational field [2], and thus, is asserted that
gravitation is nothing more than a gradient in c produced by the presence of mass.
It is also illustrated that QFT effects that define the total action path of trapped
photons could induce an alteration in the velocity of light in the proximity of the
photon paths [3], and could be the mechanism creating the effects of gravitation.

Introduction

This paper on the connection of gravity and the speed of light draws on
components other papers by the author. Since there was an early postulation that
the energy of a particle infalling gravitation was conserved, it was not clear how
the mysterious effects of gravitation could effect this. By recently noting that an
earlier paper postulation that particles are composed of opposite going photons, the
mechanism of inducing the conservative effects of gravitation became apparent,
the same gradient in c that bends the trajectory of photons can induce the energy in
opposite going photons to transfer from one to the other effectuating an increased
velocity of the center of mass without a change in energy.
Blandford et.al [1], and others [4],[5], have shown that photons operating
according to Fermats principle, in a medium having a speed of light with an index
of refraction defined by:

c c0 1 2 , (1)
r

follow a trajectory identical to that of a particle in a gravitation field. It is argued

then that; if gravitation is only a gradient in the velocity of light, the photon
would behave exactly the same. There is no need to postulate that gravitation
constitutes anything else for a photon.

Work done by this author on a particle model of two opposite going photons
trapped in a massless box, shows that all the covariant relativistic dynamical
properties of a particle are matched by this model for a particle[2]. If it is shown
then that the same gradient in c as in Eq.(1), induces the same effect as gravitation
on the center of mass of the two trapped photons, then it is indicative that
gravitation is nothing more than a gradient in c.

III Four Momentum

A pair of photon with a mass as m h / c 2 , (which has precedents in other

publications on photon entrapments[7]), moving along vectors paths in the
opposite direction can be defined by the null four-momentum in geometric algebra
matrix as:

P1 m1 k ck 0 c (2)

P2 m 2 k ck 0c (3)

Presuming these two photons are co-located, the square of the sum of the two null
vectors is necessarily constant and is:

m1 m 2 m1 m 2 4m1m 2 m 0 2
2 2
(4)
The magnitude of each of these null four-momentum is zero for covariance, and
the sum of two such moments must be constant. Thus m 0 must be invariant fixed
quantity associated with the pair of opposite going photons. If this is defined as a
rest mass then it is easy to identify:

m1 m 2 , (5)

as the total mass. Factoring the total mass from Eq.(4), gives:

m1 m 2 2
m1 m2
2
1 m0 2 (6)
m1 m2
2

Noting that:
m1 m2
m1 m2 (7)

is the ratio of the velocity of each photon to the velocity of the center of mass then:

m1 m2 vc m1 m2 c (8)

This makes Eq.(6), the relativistic energy equation for a mass particle.

v2
m1 m 2
2
1 2 m0
2
(9)
c

From the relativistic Lagrangian for a particle in a gravitational field:

1
L m 0c 2 mc 2 m 0c2 m v 2
r 2
(10)

Rearranging and squaring we have:

 v2
2

m 2 1 2 m02 1 (11)
c r

The right side of this equation is the relativistic mass, and the left which is
independent of velocity is the rest mass as a function of the distance from the
gravitating body.

Putting in Eq.(1), into Eq.(11), gives:

v2 2 c
m1 m 2
2
1 2 m 0 (12)
c c0

(Note that c / c 0 1 / r is used instead of Eq.(1), since for the purpose here they
2

are equivalent, and has been shown to be more accurate for a locally conserved
system [6].)

In a locally conservative system the energy of the particle is constant, thus as the
particle infalls from infinity the rest mass is equal to the total mass. i.e.

m1 m 2 m 0 (13)

From Eq.(4), the rest mass in terms of the masses of the individual photons is:

c
4m1m 2 m 0 2 (14)
c0

Eliminating m 2 in Eq.(14), by use of Eq.(13), gives:

4m1 m 0 m1 m 0 2 c
c0
(15)

Solving for the mass of the mass of one of the single photons, m1 gives:
 1 2 c
m12 m1m 0 m0 0, (16)
4 c0

The quadratic solution of this is:

1 c
m1 m 01 1 1 (17)
2 c0

Since the initial mass of the total particle m 01 , is twice the initial mass of the m1
photon then the mass change in the internal photon is:

m 01 m1 c0 c
, (18)
m01 c0
or:

m1 , 2 c
(19)
m01 c0

Eq.(13), is the relation between the constant total mass, which is the same as the
rest mass. Eq.(19), is the change of the mass from one internal photon to another
inside the particle as a function of the change in the speed of light. It represents a
change in the velocity of the particle without a change in energy. The in-going
photon has the + sign and the outgoing is the sign.

Origin of Gravitation

The above expression, Eq.(19), may not seem all that impressive, but does have
profound implications, the change in the kinetic energy of a particle is effectuated
by the gradient of the velocity of light the same as if the particle was in a
gravitational potential.

Conceptually, this seems simple accept that there is no work done on the particle as
the particle enters the potential, and thus no energy exchanged, thus gravity is
properly not a force, conveys no energy, and does no work. The kinetic mass has
increased at the expense of the rest mass. The change in c provides the mechanism
by which a conservative gravitational potential effectuates a change in the velocity
of a particle without contributing energy.

The effect of gravitation on a particle is thus, induced in the particle by the

gradient in the speed of light. Newtons apple falls not because of a decrease in
energy, but because the speed of light at the branch is higher than the speed of light
at the ground.

It has long been known that a photon obeying Fermats principle, with a speed
defined by Eq.(1), exhibits the proper trajectory [1], and from this development the
same change in c induces the proper gravitational motion in particles. The concept
of gravitation thus reduces to the presence of a gravitating mass, altering the
local velocity of light in its vicinity.

It is asserted that Eq.(19), represents a cause-effect relation between particle

motion and the speed of light and is the mechanism that effects gravitation.

QFT Origin of Gravitation?

This section is a bit of speculation, but well indicated by the state of the art.

Consider an apparatus having a cavity with opposing mirror and having photons
trapped between the mirrors. From conservation of energy the apparatus has more
mass and thus more gravitational attraction than the cavity without the photons.
There is not asserted to be interaction between the photons, so the photons that are
bouncing back and forth generates the gravitation. (Note that it is not without
precedent that photons oscillating in a cavity are ascribed to have with mass
( m h / c 2 )[7].

It has been shown by the mechanisms of Quantum Electrodynamics that an intense

photon beam induces a change in the velocity of light in the vicinity of the beam.
From the work of D. Kharzeeva, et.al, [3] it is shown that for an intense laser beam
the QFT effects related to electronpositron loops induce vacuum self-focusing
which is a vacuum alteration of the index of refraction in the speed of light in the
vicinity of the beam.
A model of particles being trapped, opposite going photons, as asserted here,
consisting of photons reciprocating in the interior, which constitutes an intense,
highly energetic back and forth beam of photons. This is orders of magnitude
greater than a laser, and should by methods of QFT induce a change in c outside
the particle itself. The repeating path action from one reflection to another has path
probability well outside the classical path of the oscillating photons [8], and could
induce the change in c near the particle equivalent to the effect of gravitation.

If gravitation is nothing more than a gradient in c. and QFT can induce a vacuum
gradient in c then there is a direct connection.

If the induced value of c in the vicinity of oscillating photons can be found by

methods of QFT to be:

2

c c 0 1 G 4 (20)
c r

then the gravitational constant is calculated, and the riddle of gravitation would be
solved.

References:

1. Roger Blandford, Kip S. Thorne, in Applications of Classical Physics, (in preparation, 2004), Chapter 26
http://www.pma.caltech.edu/Courses/ph136/yr2002/chap26/0226.1.pdf

2. DT Froedge, The Concept of Mass as Interfering Photons, and the Originating Mechanism of
Gravitation, ,V020914, http://www.arxdtf.org/

3. D. Kharzeeva, K. Tuchinb, Vacuum SelfFocussing of Very Intense Laser Beams,

arXiv:hep-ph/0611133v2

4. F. Karimi, S. Khorasani, Ray-tracing and Interferometry in Schwarzschild Geometry, arXiv:1001.2177

[gr-qc]

5. Khorasani, Defections of Light and Shapiro Delay: An Equivalent Medium Theory Approach,
arXiv:1206.1947v1 [gr-qc] 9 Jun 2012

6. DT Froedge, The Velocity of Light in a Locally Conserved Gravitational Field, ,V020914,

http://www.arxdtf.org/

7. Alex KruchkovBose-Einstein condensation of light in a cavity http://arxiv.org/pdf/1401.0520v2.pdf

8. Feynman, Hibbs, 1965, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals McGraw-Hill.